Found Deceased MT - Meghan Rouns, 27, horseback riding, horse found, phone found in saddlebag, McMaster Hills Rec Area, NE of Helena, 4 Oct 2024 *Active Search*

[mickey2942]

As the mom of a 1,000% horse girl, I get it. My daughter wears an Apple Watch that will call me if it senses a fall and she doesn’t respond. Horses are beautiful and wonderful creatures, but they can be dangerous - whether intentionally or not. But I believe that a strong love of horses is genetic and my daughter was “double-cursed - I rode horses since I was 7 y/o - at my insistence - not even knowing at that time that my grandfather was a breeder of Tennessee Walkers (he lived 1/2 way across the Country and died when I was 4 y/o). And my husband’s mom rode horses and grew up on a farm.

I pray she is mildly injured and can’t walk either because she’s tangled in something or a fractured foot/leg and that she will be found otherwise safe ASAP.

Would the Apple watch work in areas with poor cell coverage? It can be "hit and miss" out there sometimes.

 

[iamshadow21]

As a horse rider, my guess is horse spooked and she was thrown. Horses can do this 180 turn that leaves one hanging in the air where the horse used to be... Questions I have are: Was she wearing a helmet (In her photos, I only see helmet use during the barrel racing)? What condition were the stirrups in (i.e. did they look like a rider was hung up in them and drug for a ways?)? How did the horse seem (anxious, stressed out, matter of fact? How was this horse to ride?

Yeah, I've been wondering about a helmet, but didn't want to speak up because I'm not a rider myself.

That said, there are things a helmet can't protect you from. My grandmother was in her sixties when she was thrown off a horse. Broke her back in two places, and was lucky not to be paralysed because the hospital, unbelievably, never x-rayed her. She found out years later after she was fully healed. Had chronic back pain the rest of her life and lost about four inches in height, though.

MOO

 

[Knox]

Those who know Meghan say she rides in that frequently and is an experienced rider. But accidents can and do happen regardless of either.

I’m also confused about the water search and the statement in the news report - “Rouns’s cell phone GPS data maps heavy presence in the lake”.

Her phone was in a saddlebag. So are they saying the gps location indicates she was right next to the water? Would she have taken her down to drink and something happened? I’m trying to imagine a scenario, but having difficulty coming up with something that makes sense.

No one has mentioned the state of the horse, only that her husband found her at 3 am Saturday morning.

Meghan sent someone a snapchat - “Sheriff Dutton says the last known contact anyone had with Meghan was at about 4:20 pm on Friday when she took a picture on SnapChat. She was last known to be wearing blue jeans, a black shirt, possibly a grey hoodie and a ball cap”.

I guess there’s no way to determine where that picture was taken?

 

[rosesfromangels]

If her Apple Watch is “paired” with her iPhone and they have “Find my” enabled, you can find her Watch location by looking at the “Find My” option.

Hurry!

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[mst]

Chances are if she had a ball cap there was no helmet. I, like, azure am also a horse trainer. I have had some weird falls and seen some weird ones too. The horse could have tripped and she fell off, horse could have slipped and fell. We do we know the experience of the horse? Could she have dismounted for some reason and accidentally been kicked. Could she have tried to get the horse to drink out of the lake and it wailed her in the head. Lots of possibilities

 

[Angelcat13]

Would the Apple watch work in areas with poor cell coverage? It can be "hit and miss" out there sometimes.

I am assuming that could definitely be a problem.

 

[Missing Susan]

From the trail map it looks like a direct route towards the lake going down spring gulch is about 3 miles. 2 miles if you head straight down Lake Trail. perhaps there is an area where you can access the lake and even walk your horse into the water. The topo map sort of suggests that possibility.

She probably didn't try to actually swim her horse if it was found saddled but she could have walked it into the water and came to grief. Horses sometime paw and laydown in shallow water

 

[Leopard]

Maybe I'm missing it - the horse was found saddled, but did s/he still have a bridle on? If the horse was bridled, it suggests a fall. If the horse was haltered, she was likely not riding at the time of the disappearance.

 

[Carovb5]

From the trail map it looks like a direct route towards the lake going down spring gulch is about 3 miles. 2 miles if you head straight down Lake Trail. perhaps there is an area where you can access the lake and even walk your horse into the water. The topo map sort of suggests that possibility.

She probably didn't try to actually swim her horse if it was found saddled but she could have walked it into the water and came to grief. Horses sometime paw and laydown in shallow water

How long would a horse stay wet/damp or show signs of being in the water in that climate? For instance the legs. Is it possible that was still visible when they found him/her (and that’s why they search by the water?). Or is the water full of algea at the moment and thus visible on the horse? Or was the snapchat a picture by the water?

 

[mickey2942]

Last night it was down to 35. At this point, it is probably a recovery. I am worried about potential kidnapping as well, especially if she had a specific routine, going on set days, times, and route. Could someone have noticed this schedule?

 

[Missing Susan]

On Sunday the focus was on Hauser Lake, a robotic-operated vehicle and divers were brought in a mile and half downriver from Canyon Ferry Dam.

Rouns’s cell phone GPS data maps heavy presence in the lake.

"Her horse was found just up the hill from the lake, so this has become our primary area to search from the evidence we have gathered," said Willy Wegner, the operations lieutenant of Lewis and Clark County Search and Rescue.

In addition to the evidence that has been found, search and rescue teams have been using a process of elimination method.

Search continues for woman missing northeast of Helena

Search and rescue teams, the Sheriff’s Department, and numerous volunteers continue the search for a 27-year-old woman, who went missing on Friday, October 4th.

www.ktvh.com

The point where Lower Spring Gulch trail ends at the river/lake is 1.5 miles as the crow flies from the dam

The point where Lake trail hits the lake is 2 1/2 miles from the dam.

1.5 miles from the dam via the course of the river/lake is way up by the houses on the lake. Likely not the area of interest

 

[Leopard]

Looking at the KTVH article, I was struck by this paragraph:

After speaking with Meghan’s parents, brother, and sister-in-law they shared their gratitude towards all the effort given by the community to find Meghan.

No mention of the husband. Could be nothing but it caught my attention.

 

[Missing Susan]

I found that MR uploaded this very trailride on the same app I use. I quickly called the sheriff phone number listed in the op and the number is no longer active. The missing persons post is also not active so perhaps she has been recently found

 

[Missing Susan]

 

[Missing Susan]

I'm still trying to understand but I think this means she might have posted the trailride to the app at the same time she did a snapchat photo?

The speed data is interesting too as they took a slower gait to get to where the black dot as compared to the rest of the ride. Maybe she walked up a steeper trail away from the lake to a ridge where she could get cell service to post her stuff to the internet.

Edit: The end of her recorded ride is shown to be in the trailhead parking lot at the east end of the trail system (black dot). She and her phone were in that parking lot 5 hours after she left her trailer at the other parking lot. (If the data is correct and i'm interpreting it correctly)

 

[Chimera]

406-219-7380.








All react

Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office​

19h ·
We are conducting a search for Meghan Rita Rouns who went missing while horseback riding in the McMaster Hills Recreation Area.

Search and Rescue units from Lewis and Clark County and Jefferson County are on the ground. Drones from various law enforcement agencies are searching by air. A helicopter from Great Falls has also been called in to assist. We will be active in the recreation area throughout the majority of the day.

If you have information or would like to offer assistance, please call 406-219-7380.

Search underway for woman in the McMaster Hills Recreation Area

The Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office is searching for an adult female horseback rider in the McMaster Hills Recreation Area.

www.kxlh.com

(UPDATE, 9:35 p.m.) News Release, Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office

On Friday October 4, at about 8:05 pm, the 911 center received a phone call from Meghan's father, saying she had been riding in the Eagle Bay area east of Helena, on the west side of the Missouri River. She had been missing since 2 PM. The last time the parent saw her, she was wearing jeans and riding attire, and told relatives she was going horseback riding in that area.

Sheriff Dutton said ground units and water units have been searching the area, along with assistance from the the Montana Air National Guard and Mercy Flight from Great Falls.

Drones from the Helena Police Department, Helena Fire, and IFlyBigSky are also searching, along with Elkhorn SAR from Jefferson County with a ground team, as well as as dog teams.

Malmstrom Air Force Base is sending a helicopter to assist on Sunday.

Sheriff Dutton says the last known contact anyone had with Meghan was at about 4:20 pm on Friday when she took a picture on SnapChat. She was last known to be wearing blue jeans, a black shirt, possibly a grey hoodie and a ball cap.

Her horse was found early on Saturday morning, and her phone was located in a saddle bag; investigators are utilizing data on that phone to locate areas of interest.

If you want to help, please check in at the command post located at the Eastside McMasters Trailhead.

Rbm.

So, her dad was the very last person to see her ?
Omo.

 

[flashy09]

I'm still trying to understand but I think this means she might have posted the trailride to the app at the same time she did a snapchat photo?

The speed data is interesting too as they took a slower gait to get to where the black dot as compared to the rest of the ride. Maybe she walked up a steeper trailView attachment 536106 away from the lake to a ridge where she could get cell service to post her stuff to the internet.

Edit: The end of her recorded ride is shown to be in the trailhead parking lot at the east end of the trail system (black dot). She and her phone were in that parking lot 5 hours after she left her trailer at the other parking lot. (If the data is correct and i'm interpreting it correctly)

I am trying to understand the app.... she uploaded her planned trail ride, but it ended short of the lake in a parking lot? Or did she stop in the parking lot on the way back from the lake? It doesn't seem like a horse accident. Her phone was in the saddlebag when the horse was found and the recorded speeds are consistent with walking, maybe a slow trot. Usually if a horse is spooked enough to throw the rider, it's going to take off and the speed would be much higher!

 

[bestill]

I'm still trying to understand but I think this means she might have posted the trailride to the app at the same time she did a snapchat photo?

The speed data is interesting too as they took a slower gait to get to where the black dot as compared to the rest of the ride. Maybe she walked up a steeper trailView attachment 536106 away from the lake to a ridge where she could get cell service to post her stuff to the internet.

Edit: The end of her recorded ride is shown to be in the trailhead parking lot at the east end of the trail system (black dot). She and her phone were in that parking lot 5 hours after she left her trailer at the other parking lot. (If the data is correct and i'm interpreting it correctly)

This is interesting. Her phone was with her horse, in the saddlebag. Her husband found the horse early Saturday morning according the reports we've seen. Did the horse make it back to the trailer and parking lot 5 hours after the ride began?

 

[Chimera]

I am trying to understand the app.... she uploaded her planned trail ride, but it ended short of the lake in a parking lot? Or did she stop in the parking lot on the way back from the lake? It doesn't seem like a horse accident. Her phone was in the saddlebag when the horse was found and the recorded speeds are consistent with walking, maybe a slow trot. Usually if a horse is spooked enough to throw the rider, it's going to take off and the speed would be much higher!

Good points.
I am sort of surprised and it's saddening that they still have not found her ?

 

[Chimera]

Looking at the KTVH article, I was struck by this paragraph:



No mention of the husband. Could be nothing but it caught my attention.

Maybe out looking for her.
Has he issued any statements yet ?
When he found the horse, was it far off the trails or fairly close ?
And if he found the horse, he might have an idea where she might be if she's had an accident & is injured.

Where in the world could Meghan be ?
Etc.